


The Little Soldier Marches On

by TelekineticIssue



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen, Lin develops an Emotion, Mako is as dense as ever, rated T for the fact I like to swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26392360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TelekineticIssue/pseuds/TelekineticIssue
Summary: Lin shouldn't be so soft on the detective, but she has to admit he's a sweet kid. Maybe she doesn't want to admit she sees herself in him.
Relationships: Lin Beifong & Mako
Comments: 19
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too little sleep and too much coffee.  
> (Inspired by a joke tweet I added to my livetweet thread and then couldn't get out of my head. This has totally been done before, I'm sure. I'm eight years late to this series; there's no way it hasn't, right?)

The second hand of the clock on the wall marched oppressively onward, each quiet tick sounding like the footfall of a tiny boot to Mako’s ears. He refused to acknowledge what time the little soldier called out to him whenever he happened to glance up at it, focusing and refocusing on the paperwork in front of him until the characters blurred and shifted into entirely different shapes. He sat back with a quiet groan, rubbing his overtired eyes and realizing with a sinking feeling that at some point he’d blotched a box on his current sheet. Thankfully the stain didn’t cover any relevant information, but he sighed and tried to make it lighter at the very least. He mostly succeeded in smearing his own hand with ink, and slid the sheet away in disgust to take the opportunity to visit the men’s room.

The short hallway split between the women’s and men’s lockers had possibly the most frightful echo in the station; it was never long before rookies realized there were no secrets in the locker rooms. Gossip slipped out of them quicker than a greased hogmonkey, and not for a prevalence of loose tongues. Any word spoken in there above a whisper simply was that easy to pick up if it was quiet outside. Mako pricked his ears and heard the faint sound of a shower on the women’s side, though the men’s was silent. He took care of his business quickly, not wanting to run into whatever other lonely soul was still on this level of the station so late, and fell back into his seat some minutes later. His left hand was still stained blueish-purple from the ink, though the majority of it had washed off with an intense hand scrubbing.

After the last page of the file was completed, he sorted them all into a folder for the chief, wondering if he should deliver it in the morning or slip it under her door before he packed up for the night. The latter won out; he was scheduled to come in closer to noon, and he figured Chief Beifong would want it signed and out of the way earlier. As he knelt to slide the folder beneath the door, he noticed it was propped slightly open. This was unusual for her. She practiced much of an open door policy with her officers in the sense that she’d welcome them in if they wished to converse privately (not that many were brave enough to take her up on it), though he’d never known her to actually physically leave it open whether she was inside or not. Some hesitation led him to grasp the doorknob and pull the door slightly ajar, both afraid of and hoping for the possibility that she was inside.

The crack he peered through was small, but wide enough to see that Chief Beifong was nowhere inside her office. Confused, Mako opted to push it shut, hearing the click of the lock engaging as he did so. Maybe she’d just not shut it all the way when she left for the evening, he reasoned. Maybe the hinges were sticky. He knew immediately that she wouldn’t make that mistake nor allow any faults in her station, but the thought helped rationalize the discovery.

Resolving not to dwell on it further, Mako pushed the file under the door and returned to tidying up his desk before leaving. With a groan, he discovered yet another priority form to fill out before he could leave. He set it in the middle of his desk and continued cleaning. It was when he slipped into the small kitchenette to toss out an empty to-go bag and start a new pot of coffee in the overworked little drip machine that he heard an extremely distinct set of footsteps, followed by the jiggle of a doorknob and a quiet, “What the hell? I left that open.”

He poked his head around the wall. “Chief? I didn’t realize you were still here.”

“Spirits, fuck,” Chief Beifong didn’t physically jump, though Mako understood he’d startled her. He realized then that it had been her in the showers; her hair was still damp and she hadn’t bothered to pin it up again. “What are you doing here still?”

“Finishing a report,” Mako replied, moving into full view and gesturing toward her office. “I put it under the door. I didn’t realize you were still here.” She regarded the door with an irritated expression that melted away after a few seconds.

“Could have done that without scaring the shit out of me. Just because I can sense you fucks moving around doesn’t mean I do it for fun all the time.”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, unsure of how apologetic he could get without her getting further upset with him.

“Go home or something,” she said, unlocking the door with a flick of her wrist.

“Can’t. One more form to do before tomorrow.”

She flashed him a rare look of sympathy. “I’d say leave it, but you know as well as I that backlog causes issues.”

She closed the door without waiting for an answer. Nonplussed, Mako returned to his desk while the coffee maker heaved and groaned its way through another pot. This form was mercifully less complex than the other, though no less time-consuming. His attention filled with careful cross-referencing and the scratching of his pen on paper, part of him annoyed by the sound but thankful for the variety it gave to the monotony of seconds ticking away on the wall across the office. He could feel his head dropping at irregular intervals, time catching up to him every time he blinked or took his eyes off the words he was writing.

He barely noticed the chief until she was standing next to him, setting a clean cup of fresh coffee next to his hand. He hadn’t even heard her exit her office, much less walk across the room and bang around in the cabinets for a mug.

“Thanks, Mom,” he said distractedly. He heard her intake a sharp breath and saw one of her hands clench out of the corner of his eye. He looked up with a scowl. “What? I said thank you.”

She made an awkward, noncommittal sound, color rising in her cheeks. Mako’s face softened at that; it was the first time he’d ever seen her blush. He took a large sip of his coffee as an excuse to look away. She’d remembered the sugar, too. He took another sip, praying she wouldn’t simply knock it out of his hands now that he’d realized she cared enough about him to know how he took his coffee.

“You called me, uh,” she started to say, breaking off and bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Mako replayed the previous ten seconds over in his mind, eyes widening in shock.

“Aw, fuck, I’m so stupid. Chief, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“No, no, don’t be. Just don’t do it again.” She reached out to pat his shoulder a couple of times, which was as close to a gesture of affection as he’d ever gotten from her. “Are you done with that form yet?”

“Last page.”

“Hurry it up, then. And for the love of the Spirits, take a cab home and sleep in. I’ll cover you until two thirty.”

She stood over his shoulder as he ticked the final few boxes on the last page. He signed it with a flourish and handed her the pen so she could do the same, then stacked the forms into their folder. The chief pulled it gently from his hands, opening her mouth briefly as if she had something to say, then closing it again, thinking better of it. She stepped away so he could rise and throw on his coat.  
“G’night, Chief.” Mako said, giving her a small wave before exiting the office.

“Get some rest,” she called after him, knowing he probably wouldn’t. She could try, though. She had to; the fool pushed himself harder than even her mother had at times, all in the name of justice or whatever he believed in his young stupid heart. The chief would never admit she cared about him in more than a professional sense, but there were certainly times she caught herself regarding him like something adjacent to family. She remembered the nights listening to Pro-Bending matches as background noise when music simply didn’t serve enough to distract her, coming to root for the Fire Ferrets before Republic City had gone to hell in a handbasket. There was no way she could have predicted what came next, but as it stood now, she was fairly certain things could have been far worse. That the firebender was one of her top detectives, well, that was just the cherry on top, wasn’t it? He would make a fine chief one day, if he ever learned how to balance his work with taking care of himself.

The hypocrisy of it almost made her laugh. Here she was, mentally lecturing the boy when she herself was still standing in the station at nearly four in the morning. Reentering her office and tossing the file down on her desk, she grabbed her own coat and flipped the lights off. She made sure it was securely locked before shutting the main light off and leaving, hoping to catch her own precious few hours of sleep before she’d have to be back when morning properly arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Implying relationships? Nooooo, of course not...

“Chief.” The boy hastily saluted as she approached, but she waved a dismissive hand in his direction.

“Mako, we’re off duty. None of that here.”

“It feels wrong to refer to you any other way.”

“Loosen up, kid, or you’ll never get that stick out of your ass.”

She knew she’d hurt his feelings by the way his eyebrows furrowed, but he didn’t say anything further, merely nodding and excusing himself under the pretense of tracking down his princely charge. Lin hadn’t expected the obnoxious Earth Kingdom noble to grow on him, but she’d heard some chatter about how he’d reacted when the prince was kidnapped. Asami had teased Korra a bit, comparing it to the time she’d been held captive. A little vindictive part of Lin had filed it away for future reference, privately betting against herself on how long it’d take for him to realize his transparency. Not that she would ever take a public dig at his sexuality; she’d been on the butt end of that too many times in her younger years. Fighting off accusations and advances from her squadmates had led her to eventually accepting Tenzin asking her out just for the sake of having some plausible deniability. She did grow to love him in her own way, but there had always been something missing between them.

She absentmindedly grabbed a kebab offered to her by a waiter, examining it as though it held the answers she sought. When none were forthcoming, she began working her way through it almost meditatively, tossing the stick into a garbage can before making her way toward the bar in the back. The bartender was one she knew; he tossed her a knowing wink and set her up with an iced tea with lemon, deceptively poured as if it contained alcohol for appearance's sake.

“Ms. Beifong, nice outfit!” Bolin whistled, Opal on his arm. His cheeks were pink and his hair mussed. Lin shot him a look and he was either too tipsy to notice or had finally grown a pair, as he didn’t flinch.

“Mom dragged her out to buy it,” Opal said, “Aunt Lin, you look wonderful!”

Bolin attempted to pass one of two shot glasses he’d seemingly summoned to Lin.

“Whaddya say?”

“Erm, no thanks, kid, I’ve already got some.” She held up her own glass and Bolin looked briefly lost.

“Pass it over, Bo.” Suyin, having materialized much the same way as the shots, snatched the little glass from his hand, clinking it against his own shot before tossing it back with the grace of someone who was uncomfortably familiar with the action. “Cheers, kids! Lin, make sure they don’t sneak off.”

“They’re adults,” Lin said, miffed, “They don’t need babysat.” Su merely laughed and patted her shoulder.

“Thank you, sister dear. I knew I could count on your maternal instinct.”

“Su, I swear to the Spirits, I will beat you with a rock next time we spar.”

“Do you talk to your son like that?”

“You have a-” Bolin’s eyes went wide as Opal elbowed him in the gut, cutting off his exclamation. Lin turned murderous eyes on her sister, who smiled innocently. Lin slammed her drink onto the counter and opened her mouth to rip Su a new one, but her niece grabbed her arm.

“Aunt Lin? I don’t actually have a secret cousin, right?”

“No,” Lin growled, “Your mother just takes delight in tormenting me.”

“Of course I do.”

“That’s siblings,” Bolin said sympathetically. Lin rolled her eyes as he continued, “I usually give Mako shit when he talks about you because sometimes it sounds like he’s talking about our mom instead, but I guess I understand why now.” To the pained expression on Opal’s face, he said, “What? What did I say this time?”

“Go dance or whatever kids do at parties,” Lin growled. Opal yanked on Bolin’s arm, ignoring his continued protests.

_Sometimes it sounds like he’s talking about our mom instead._ Spirits, did the boy really think of her that way? There had been that time a few years ago when he’d slipped up out of tiredness, but she hadn’t given it too much thought since then. She’d just told him to rest more and not bring it up again.

“How did you know?” she asked Su.

“He acts like you always did around Mom when you got into the force before...you know.”

Contemplating that, Lin realized Su was right, no matter how much she’d like to deny it. Mako did remind her of her younger self, if a significant amount more forthcoming with his emotions. Speak of the dark spirits, there he was again with the fool prince in tow. Su attempted and failed to hold back a laugh.

“Keeps running back to mom no matter how prickly she gets?” she said, just loud enough for Lin to catch.

“Fuck off, Suyin.”

“Never.”

Lin looked Mako over disapprovingly as he stuttered out, “Hi again, Ch-uh, Beifong.”

“Closer,” Lin teased, lifting an eyebrow and coming close to smiling. He turned red under her gaze, glancing back at Wu, who looked rather apprehensive at being brought to one of the women who made her distaste for him blatantly obvious. “How are you finding the reception, Wu?” she asked.

“It’s certainly something,” he said, “Not quite what I’m used to, of course. This Varrick guy really knows how to party.”

“I’m surprised you think that. This is almost tame for him.”

“I’ll bet Zhu Li convinced him to tone it down for your sake,” Mako said. Lin didn’t doubt it. She’d been as surprised as any when she’d gotten an invitation to attend as a guest instead of security. She knew Saikhan and a few other trusted officers were on call in case something went massively wrong, and she did have a set of metal strips stashed up her sleeve in case of emergency, but it looked as if none of that would be necessary.

“At least it gives us a moment of peace, hm?” Lin picked up her tea again, sipping it idly as Mako ordered himself a beer and some fruity nonsense for the prince. She didn’t miss the way Wu watched Mako while he wasn’t paying attention, and he even had the grace to smile when she caught his eye. Both of them were oblivious idiots.

“Look at you two, bonding over something other than work,” Su broke in. Lin glared at her, unsure why she was still standing there if not to completely humiliate her.

“That’s pretty rare, yup,” Mako said. She didn’t dignify him with a response, and Su’s grin grew even wider.

“Come on, Lin. Cut your s-”

“He’s not my kid!” Lin snapped, embarrassed. Su moved back out of arm’s reach in case Lin remembered she could theoretically get away with slugging her in the arm much the same as their mother did to her own friends. Mako looked back and forth between the sisters, confused, and Lin had the horrible privilege of witnessing the light turn on as he figured out Suyin’s game.

“Chief, I swear I didn’t tell anyone about that.”

“Wait, what?” Wu, who had been thoroughly engrossed in his drink and not paying attention in the slightest, looked incredulously at Mako, and then at Lin. “You only mentioned Korra and Asami when you told me about yourself.”

“I called her ‘Mom’ on accident once, Spirits. Don’t make it weirder than it already is.”

“He’s not her type, anyway,” Suyin snickered, “She’s got a thing for silver-haired waterbenders.”

_“Suyin, I am going to break your bones.”_

“You passed out last time you tried.”

“Maybe let’s wait til we’re not in the middle of a wedding reception.” Mako grimaced. “My boss and my brother’s future mother-in-law beating the shit out of each other at his boss’ wedding would not be the best headline for either of you.”

“If you insist,” Suyin sidled closer to her sister, elbowing her gently. “Your kid’s got a point.”

“He’s,” Lin sighed, “Fine, Su, you win. Will you please quit harassing us now?”

“And that, boys, is how you get Lin Beifong to admit she has emotions.” Su winked as she disappeared back into the crowd, likely to track down her husband. Lin pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes. Maybe when she opened them again, none of this would have happened.

“Lin?”

Fuck. She cracked an eye open to see Mako’s hand hovering over her shoulder, not quite touching her. She brushed it away. Wu’s eyebrows quirked up in his own version of concern, though he kept his gaze on his bodyguard instead of her.

“I’m fine, Mako. And I’m sorry for being an ass the first time I saw you tonight.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re right.”

“Usually am. Now, get going and do party shit or whatever you feel like. I’m going home. Can’t stand this.”

“Have a good evening, Lin.”

Sitting in the driver’s seat of her Satomobile, Lin mulled over the fact that he’d finally said her name and she hadn’t even acknowledged it. As much as she hated to admit it, Su was right; both she and Mako could stand to loosen up a bit. She wasn’t sure if she could bear driving him away like she had everyone else. Maybe, after all they’d been through together, it was time to acknowledge the firebender was more than just another officer in the ranks; he was practically family.

Yeah, she thought, smiling to herself as she put the Satomobile in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. Family.


	3. Chapter 3

Lin ordered in catering for the day Mako came back to work, claiming it to be use of some extra cash laying around, but she knew that he knew it was her way of saying ‘thank you’ without everyone else raising eyebrows. The sandwiches were delicious, and it was a rare surprise that the chief actually mingled with her officers, conversing almost casually and proving she really did know everything that happened in her station with the topics she picked. Mako, leaning against his desk, hid a grin at how quickly the newer officers became flustered when stared down by the chief. She wasn’t quite interrogating them, but her delight in making them squirm was obvious to those who knew what to look for. AC Saikhan had taken up a post next to Mako, rapidly warming up to the boy whom the chief had not so subtly hinted would make a good replacement for him down the line. He wasn’t inclined to disagree with her; the firebender had a good head on his shoulders, and had matured a great deal in the years he’d served the Earth Kingdom prince.

“She’s going to eat them alive,” Mako mumbled around a bite of food. Saikhan nodded his agreement, watching the chief with a knowing eye.

“After everything she’s been through, she deserves to poke a little fun.”

“I take it you’re not really talking about the past few years.”

Saikhan shook his head. “There’s more to her story, but it’s far from mine to tell. She’s the reason I joined the force, though.”

Mako raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I was a witness in a Terra Triad attack. She whipped their asses and had them in cuffs without breaking a sweat. I couldn’t stop thinking about how cool the officer with the scars was and decided then to really focus on metalbending so I could apply for the training program. And now she’s my boss, and I’ll be replacing her when we have to drag her body out of her office.”

“Honestly,” Mako said, ignoring the morbidity of Saikhan’s prediction, “I was booked a couple times when I was a kid and the officers tried to scare me out of taking Triad jobs by saying they were going to get the Chief to straighten me out. Don’t think there was ever any real threat of it, but it did make me a bit more cautious after the second time.”

“I’ll bet.”

The two lapsed into silence and continued to observe the impromptu party. Saikhan sidled away when the Chief herself picked her way over to Mako, moving some paperwork out of the way to sit on his desk with a grunt.

“Need to rest your aging bones, Chief?”

“Can it, Detective, I can still beat your ass without trying. How’s the arm?”

“Doing a bit better,” he said, flexing the fingers. His hand and lower arm were encased in a compression sleeve he desperately wanted to cut the fingertips off of, though Kya had expressly forbidden him to do so. “I’ve got more muscular control now than I did a week ago. How’s your,” he gestured, “you? Still can’t believe you made it out of that fall without more serious damage than a couple broken bones.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, crossing her legs. “No need to make people worry.”

“You have to take care of yourself, Chief. We worry about you.” Before she could respond, he added, “Not out of pity. You’re our chief; it’s out of respect. And friendship on some ends.”

“Hmm.”

“And how is Kya?” he asked slyly, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face as she glared at him.

“You would have seen her yesterday; didn’t you ask?”

“Hard to have a good conversation when she’s telling you to shut up so she can focus.” Lin made a sympathetic sound, rolling her eyes, but Mako caught the softening of her face at the mention of her girlfriend. They weren’t popular knowledge, but Mako had put two and two together after a few sessions with the healer.

“You’re sure you’re ready to come back?” Lin asked suddenly, eyebrows furrowing in something Mako took to be concern. “You can take a couple more weeks off if you need to, you know.”

“Chief, I’m going stir crazy without having something to do besides rest or physical therapy. I’m so ready to be back here.”

“Hmm. If you don’t take it easy, your ass will be back home sooner than you can say ‘what the flameo,’ all right?”

“Point taken.”

“Good.”

She patted him awkwardly on the shoulder before slipping off his desk with a grunt. Mako watched her go, noting the way she still favored her right side. She didn’t let it on, but she was probably still in a lot of pain. That was something he admired about her, though. She was strong to the point of almost being too much so, and it took a lot to break down those walls. He’d seen it happen since he’d grown closer to her, from that awkward night when he’d slipped up while tired, to the night of Varrick’s wedding when she’d been pressured by her sister to admit she cared about him. And the fact that she was open enough with him about her relationship was certainly something; Republic City was generally open-minded, but Mako knew the Chief was quite frankly terrified of someone going after Kya to get at her. Then again, he knew she’d sacrifice anything for any of the people he’d come to know in the past four years. She’d let herself be beaten, battered, and broken all for the sake of those around her. That alone made her the bravest person Mako knew. 

“Dude, she’ll kill you if she notices you staring like a lost puppy.” Jiang, one of Mako’s fellow officers, elbowed him in the side and shook him out of his thoughts.

“You’re the hopeless puppy with the crush on the boss,” he sniped back, returning the elbow. She rolled her eyes. “She’s basically my mother,” Mako continued, wrinkling his nose. Jiang took the opportunity to steal the remaining half of his lunch.

“Don’t let her hear you say that. She’ll definitely kill you.”

“Probably.” Mako shrugged.

Across the room, Lin was taking a much-needed break from socializing, leaning with Saikhan against the wall and watching the rest of the officers chatter more freely than they had in a long time.

“You talked to Mako earlier?”

“He thinks very highly of you,” Saikhan responded. “Kinda like he’s trying to impress a parent.”

“Sprits, are we that unsubtle?”

“I don’t think anyone else knows that you’ve basically adopted him.” Saikhan lets out a quiet bark of a laugh. “He’d never live it down.”

“Maybe he needs knocked down a peg or two.”

Saikhan fixes a knowing eye on her. “You don’t mean that. I know you were planning on offering him a couple more weeks off.”

“Hm.” Lin presses her lips into a thin smile. “I don’t want him to work too hard while he’s recovering. I quit going to healing sessions to get back to full time sooner and look how that left me.”

Saikhan opened his mouth a couple times like a fish, unsure how to respond, and Lin took pity on him by waving it off. “Obviously I don’t care anymore. I don’t want him to have any of that kind of regret, though.”

“How very motherly of you.”

Lin would have bristled had it been anyone else; instead, she looked away and murmured, “Yeah,” just loud enough for him to catch. He grinned in victory.

Lin watched the clock tick over to one in the afternoon and whistled sharply, catching everyone’s attention.

“All right, folks, back to work. Crime doesn’t stop because we’re having lunch.”

The collection of officers cleaned up quickly and scattered back to their desks. Lin made sure to stop by Mako’s once more before retreating to her office.

“I was serious, earlier, by the way. Take more time off if you need it. I don’t want you to feel like I did when I was your age.”

“Chief, don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’m ready to be back. But I promise I’ll put in a request if I need it, okay?”

“Good.”

She hovered for a second before walking off, and as she settled into her desk chair, she felt an insistent tapping of a particular boot against the ground that only she would be able to sense. The message was short and to the point, but it brought a smile to her face nonetheless. 

_Thanks, Mom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's it for this fic. I like to think Saikhan and Lin dig at each other a lot because they've seen so much together. Mako is, as always, a total fool and I love him for that.
> 
> Big thank you to everyone who's given this a read/kudos; it's really inspired me to write more and post here. I honestly didn't think people would like what I had to offer, and the fact that some of you do means so much. <3


End file.
